Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Sound can take you to unexpected and surprising places, for me figuratively and literally. I experienced one of those unforeseen adventures last week, a delightful and fulfilling journey, a return to my alma mater. It felt so sweet to have my toes back on the hallowed grounds of WWU after so many moons have waxed and waned. A flood of memories from yesteryear, of kinship and familiarity.
Religious studies, Professor Frost invited me to share a Mystic Heart Meditative Sound Bath with her: ‘Seeking Silence in a Noisy World’ students during dead week, as the students prepared for the sometimes stress-filled week of finals before spring break. Arriving, we worked as a unit to move the instruments onto campus with determination and an easeful flow, as preplanning was our ally with Western’s persistent parking quagmire. Once set-up, students snuggled in for their first Sound Mediation experience.
I was delighted and filled with gratitude for this opportunity! Our allotted time together was spacious, the potency of sound coming forward was gloriously full and the lingering silence to conclude the Sound Meditation was divine. The significance of our convergence was palatable in the air. Students recorded their journeys in their journals before stepping outside for a brief commune with the elements. We reconvened, in a circle as the option of sharing was invited and welcomed.
One-by-one the group communicated their experiences. Listening to these youthful, articulate beings was a gift that I had not anticipated and left my heart overflowing with awe. Their candid expression and indepth, rich descriptions of their journey within the soundscape was striking. I was struck by their connection, sincerity and enriching tales. My time on campus with these young adults, making their way in a world filled with uncertainty, left me feeling blessed.
In a world that calls out for our wholeness, for connection, for the depths of our humanity to reign - there is hope - there is lived experience - there are humans seeking the betterment of the collective existence - may we bring it forth from the inside out.
Thank you, thank you Dr. Frost for your invitation, thank you WWU for very existence, thank you to the students for their openness as they make their way in this world, thank you to the sound current for guiding my way. ~Kristi Lee (Pictured: WWU alum dance of completion!)
Professor Frost’s course description:
This class is concerned with the ways contemplative practices—including the cultivation of concentration, awareness, stillness, silence, and presence—are (or are not) valued in a world that is increasingly noisy, both literally and metaphorically. We will learn how these qualities have long been present in different religious traditions, and we will explore how they are lived out, questioned, and re-fashioned for today in Buddhist, Christian, and secular settings. The integration of findings from neuroscience into our exploration of these qualities will help us consider the nature of consciousness, reality, and what it means to be human.
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